Messages from the Pale Blue Dot

Cols I have loved: Col de Torini

Looks like a totally boring ride.. up and down:

However, this is one of the classic climbs of all time!! The Col de Torini has been a Tour de France climb and is one of the famous rally events, with sports cars tearing up and down the switch-backs. I started this morning from Sospel, riding to the northwest for 24.5 km up, up and up without a break.

I drove to Sospel, left town at 8:00 am and climbed through the clouds into the blue skies, up into the snow. At about 1300 meters, I hit black ice on the road and the back wheel would spin for a moment as I stomped on the pedals. The ice was actually much more scary on the descent, which I did like an old lady on the wet and icy switchbacks. No sense in ruining a wonderfull week of riding in the Maritime Alpes by sliding off the road, falling hundreds of meters to a painful and possibly terminal landing.

My week of riding in the Southern Alps is done. This has been a great jump-start on the season and my reconstructed knee is working well, albeit a little stiff from time to time after long rides, but nothing unexpected given the stress of thousands of meters of vertical climbing in a short period of time. Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger. Hopefully, all of this will pay off during the Cape Argus Classic in Cape Town, three weeks from now!

Saint-Agnés Loop

This morning's ride was a classic!! Georgina, my friend on the UK Delegation, finished up her morning meeting and got a pass for a few hours to get out and climb big mountains on her bike with me. We met up just before 8:00, leaving from sealevel and climbing, non-stop for an hour and forty minutes, for a total of 1413 meters, before a thrilling descent down through Saint-Agnés to Menton and then back up over another smaller pass backhome. In all, the total climbing was 2090 meters over 45.65 km in 2:35. Just fast enough for both of us to make it back to the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in time before we were missed.

Col de Nice and Col de Braus

Today, Thursday, was a quick workout, consisting of two "cols" or passes, starting late in the afternoon following work at the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Monaco. I drove out to Les Montes, parked the car and rode up and back, arriving back before dark and in time to get back to work at the conference for the evneing.

So, the numbers for this ride were 2:14 moving time, with 1818 vertical meters of climbing, about 40 km and top speed of 68.5 kmph.

Into the Alpes Maritime

Spectacular riding day! If you like big hills, long climbs, thrilling descents, quaint little towns, perfect temperatures, clean air and a full day of cycling, this was the perfect day.

Yes, unbelievably 3593 meters of vertical climbing in three long ascents.

Yes, those are switchbacks that stretch from the valley floor up to a top at about 1400 meters. Straight (sort of) up the mountain. No cars, about 13 degrees and all alone on one of those climbs you see during the Tour de France.

It was a long day, but not exhausting. I took my time, stopped for a long and lovely lunch at Chez Régine at 307 Route de l'Escarène in La Pointe de Contes, where I had a salad with apples, raisins, goat cheese and fresh mixed greens, two cups of very strong coffee and fresh French bread.

Today was a "no-chain" day, one of those rare rides where it feels like you don't have a chain and the climbs are effortless. The only low moment was when a pro-rider from Crédit Agricole came flying past me on one of the steeper climbs. I was doing a respectable 18 kmph uphill and this guy came by at something around 26 kmph. He also looked 23 and weighed 50 kilos. It was a reality check.

Cycling through Monte Carlo

After a quick week in New York, struggling with the twelve time zone change from Thailand and getting ready for yesterday's six time zone change to Europe, I think that my body actually successfully shifted the six hours westward, while my body went three-quarters of the way around the world the other direction. Somehow I arrived here in the Principality of Monaco absolutely on this time zone (and my apologies to Pam and the boys who put up with me last week falling asleep in the late afternoon and getting up at 2:00 am while I was at home.)

One of the benefits of sticking to a single hotel chain are the upgrades. I've been staying at the Starwood properties (Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien) for the last few years and now, when checking into a hotel like the Le Meridien Beach Plaza here in Monaco, they upgrade me to the best available room. In this case, a lovely suite overlooking the beach (and you can see the conference site in the background.) The United Nations Environment Programme Global Ministerial Environment Forum is the annual opportunity for the world's environment ministers to meet for a three-day event, held ever other year outside of Nairobi. This year it is in Monaco, which seemed to me a good opportunity to get in some riding in the Maritime-Alps located just above this idyllic seaside resort. Our reports and photos from this meeting can be found at http://www.iisd.ca/unepgc/unepss10/

Yes, no beard. After almost twenty years, I shaved it off last week after consulting with Pam and the boys (they, of course, have to look at my face much more than I do.) When I was cycling with Markus two weeks ago in Thailand, everyone asked Markus about his "Papa," referring to me. They thought I was his father! Following a day of hammering up and down mountains on a bike, back at the hotel I was suddently grandpa. "It very good your father still ride bicycle." It was the beard, which has turned (prematurely of course) white, that was making me look aged. Much better now.

After a short night on a flight from New York to Frankfurt and a connection to Nice, followed by a wild ride through the tunnels and along the cliffs coming up the coast to Monaco, I checked into the hotel and went out for a quick ride before the sun set.

560 meters of climbing in about 16 km of riding over 50 minutes. Not much more than a short tuneup, but just lovely riding along this coastline in late afternoon.

One final note. After being rather schizophrenic when it comes to distances, heights and temperature, I have decided to go all metric. From now on there will be no more references to miles, feet and feeling chilled at 40 degrees. All metric, all the time.